As you may have been able to guess from this blog, I am obsessed with chocolate. To me, dessert isn't dessert without some chocolate. So when I met JD and learned he was not really a fan, that took some getting used to. Seriously, what was WRONG with him??? Of course, there were benefits...more chocolate for me! But still, to not love chocolate...what an alien concept.
Turns out, I should thank JD for his chocolate aversion. When his birthday rolls around, he usually asks for a spice cake or a carrot cake. Not chocolate, like a normal person. So over the years, I've tried several different spice/carrot cake recipes, even resorting to a mix one year. Nothing special. Then, a few years ago, I came across this recipe on the Food Network website and gave it a try.
Oh. My. God. This is the most outrageously sinfully delicious carrot cake you could ever eat. With a FULL POUND of butter in the cake and the frosting, it is clearly not diet food, but hey...your birthday only comes around once a year, right?
Sinfully Good Carrot Cake
Cake:
3 sticks (1 1/2 cups) butter
2 cups sugar
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
4 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 cups grated carrots
1 cup raisins
Frosting:
8 ounces cream cheese
1 stick butter
1 pound powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9 x 13 inch pan.
Grate a bunch of carrots. Be sure not to get any of your knuckle in there.
Whisk together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside.
Beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
Add the dry ingredients, alternating with the eggs, beating well after each addition. Add the vanilla and carrots and mix.
Stir in the raisins. Batter will be thick.
Pour into prepared pan and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool before frosting.
To make the frosting, beat the butter and cream cheese together until light and fluffy. Gradually add the sugar and beat, then add the vanilla.
Frost your cake, then go to town. Be sure to have lots of friends around to help you eat this, unless you have no worries about your cholesterol.
Note: JD and I don't like nuts in cake, which is why you don't see any here. Emeril's recipe (like most carrot cake recipes) calls for pecans in the cake and also in the frosting, so if you like that sort of thing, go for it.